I used to run 1x9 using a 34t front and 11-43 rear.Seemed very good for trail riding and messing around on jumps and drops.
Will be trying 2x10 soon,and might change that to 1x10 if i think it will be ok.

Formula the Ones-This will be a difficult one,I had a set of the older design ones.Excellent looking brake,Brilliant performance most of the time.The problems i had with mine were,Pad life-used dozens of sets in 6 months,Hit and miss performance when wet,lack of spares and pads in the uk.

Seat collars are 34.9mm if i remember correctly,I had a Hope qr on mine,very nice.

I had one of the first sets of I9 in the UK a long time before they had an importer(3-4 years ago),the Hubs are pretty good and look very nice,The only problems i had were with bearings,used several sets in the few years i had them.A complete set is now £70,Most of the bearings can be sourced from local bearing stockists(or ebay) but one is specially machined(centreless ground ) so its 0.5mm under size than a standard off the shelf bearing.The pickup on the hub is amazing and i do miss that instant engagement.

I 've been using the I9s for 8 months on my AM and changed the bearings twice so far (and Greece is not a particularly wet country ). Also, I had to send the rear hub back to Canada because it seems, according to them, the axle was problematic so there was always some play in the rear wheel unless the hub was overtightened. Yesterday I think I noticed some bad noise from the front hub (possibly the bearings, again). I am already looking for a new set of wheels...

I am also using hope brakes but my brother just got his new Nomad with the F1s. They look stunning and they have the best feel but he did buy an extra set of hard wearing pads just in case...

I got my Five Ten (Karver impact) at my normal trainers' size and are OK.

Yes Richard, also glad. Will now have both the photography equipment and the Nicolai, though at a cost of course! Regarding the wheels, sorry I'm after a set of Flows, but thanks for the offer

Think I'll go with 1x9 for now then. Had thought 1x10 would be nice, but perhaps too early.

Norcosam, when did you own those Formulas? From having a read today and yesterday, pad wear does seem to go against them, but power and feel are supposedly superb. A dozen pads in 6 months seems excessive - how much mileage/use were you putting in out of interest? Pretty sure geetee has some, so hoping he also sees this thread at some point.

I9's - I think I'll stick with Pro2's! Also good news on the Five Ten's.

I was having a look at the Rock Shox Reverb seatpost, looks superb although has got very mixed reviews. I don't suppose anyone on here has one or has tried a ride with one? Its very expensive at ~£240 but the adjustable return rate due to the hydraulic nature is very nice.

Bottom Brackets... I'm going for an SLX crankset, is the BB worth upgrading? Doesn't have to be straight away, but have no idea on the quality of the one that comes as part of the set.

Yes Richard, also glad. Will now have both the photography equipment and the Nicolai, though at a cost of course! Regarding the wheels, sorry I'm after a set of Flows, but thanks for the offer

Think I'll go with 1x9 for now then. Had thought 1x10 would be nice, but perhaps too early.

Norcosam, when did you own those Formulas? From having a read today and yesterday, pad wear does seem to go against them, but power and feel are supposedly superb. A dozen pads in 6 months seems excessive - how much mileage/use were you putting in out of interest? Pretty sure geetee has some, so hoping he also sees this thread at some point.

I9's - I think I'll stick with Pro2's! Also good news on the Five Ten's.

I was having a look at the Rock Shox Reverb seatpost, looks superb although has got very mixed reviews. I don't suppose anyone on here has one or has tried a ride with one? Its very expensive at ~£240 but the adjustable return rate due to the hydraulic nature is very nice.

Bottom Brackets... I'm going for an SLX crankset, is the BB worth upgrading? Doesn't have to be straight away, but have no idea on the quality of the one that comes as part of the set.

Thanks once again for the help, appreciated

I had the Formulas at the end of last year/beginning of this, ,Was riding 50-60 miles per week,Rain or shine.Performance wise,when dry were and still are the best brakes i have used.They were used a lot through the winter,So had a lot of muddy wet rides,The pads run very close to the rotors,if they dont you will get loads of lever travel.

A few more questions then if I may... Did they lose your confidence in wet/muddy conditions? Plus, did you get through several rotors too? I've seen CRC sells them and pads, so unless they end up out of stock, hopefully pads/spares should be ok to source.

A few more questions then if I may... Did they lose your confidence in wet/muddy conditions? Plus, did you get through several rotors too? I've seen CRC sells them and pads, so unless they end up out of stock, hopefully pads/spares should be ok to source.

It was there wet performance i didnt like,Very noisy and very little power,I found you had to drag them a bit to keep the rotors clean and dry.Unfortunately this made the pads wear very quickly.
Never wore nay rotors,just pads.
The Uk importer at the time ran out of genuine pads for a few months,so had to use Superstar pads(cheaper) and they were worse for wearing than genuine.Did a set in 70 miles front and rear.

Superstar components seem to do every pad going in three different compounds

Not sure about other posts , but the i950r return rate is variable by how far you press the lever, having said that the reverb is proving very popular, I think the original quarms were due to people not bleeding it. My i950r has been bomb proof though, so in no hurry to change

Ref the slx BB gently pry the seal off and pack it with Castrol CL grease then forget about it, I'd do the same with you Hope bearings as well, half of the ones on my wheelset shipped with very minimal grease (or at the very least arrived with a lot less than the other half). I'm a little anal bout stuff like that

Didn't mean to come across as criticism sorry, I've just order 4 sets of the Kevlar ones ( total price £25) even if they turn out to wear quicker still seems like they are worth a shot, it's £18 for one set of organic on crc

Hi there - here are my experiences with the components you're thinking about. They are all set up on my Helius AM, which is set up primarily for trail riding. but also capable of doing DH with a few quick mods.

1x10

I've been running 1x9 for several years now. I have always loved the simplicity, quietness and reduced weight of this set up. Not being stellar fit, I've been geared around 32t with 11-34t rear. I have found that you spin out on fast fire roads and tarmac but anywhere where the ground is technical an 11t rear by 32t front is more than big enough. I've run this bike on DH courses around Europe (Chamonix, UK primarily).

At the other end, the 34t by 32t front is not really small enough for serious hill climbing and with my level of fitness, it was never long before I was off and pushing up long climbs.

For this reason, I went 1x10 just recently to get the extra gear - so now I have 36t rear with 32t front. I'm running XT cassette, Connex Wipperman Stainless Steel Chain and SRAM X0 mech and shifter.

I am seriously impressed with how well the system functions. Gear changes seem to be even better than with a 9 speed set up and one of the other big benefits that was not anticipated, is that the drive train is now truly silent as the chain is narrower and therefore doesn't rub on my chain device. The extra gear is a godsend.

Formula The Ones

I've been running these on both my bikes (initially the AM and my Ion and then after I sold the Ion on my hardtail) since 2007.

These are the only brakes I've never had any heat issues with in the alps. Even in Chamonix, where the descents can be 15 minutes plus, they never had any heat/fade issues.

Their power is second to none in any condition and this is compared to Hope M4s Avid Juicys, Shimano Deore XT. The issue with pads seems to be a thing of the past now as well. In the early days the Formula branded pads did seem to last less time than a heartbeat in wet and muddy conditions and I went through one set in one day on a very wet day in the Alps. But the pads that you can get now donít seem to have this problem at all so I would recommend them on that basis.

The negatives are that they are difficult to bleed and maintain. I think theyíve moved the bleed nipple on the lever from the model I have which should make it easier to do, but despite being a relatively competent mechanic myself, happy to bleed my brakes, these have always been done by my local shop.

As an alternative to these I would consider the new XTR Trails as they seem to work extremely well (Iíve tried them briefly), will be simpler to maintain and have far more readily available parts. They are also relatively light, about the same as the Formula The Ones.

Flow rims are a great choice for the AM; Iíve used them for about 4 years now and have never even managed to ding a sidewall let alone bend them. Run them with Stans Rim Strips tubeless with Maxxis High Rollers or Minnions for best effect.

I have two spare hope QR seat clamps in black if you would like one. I can sell you one if youíre interested Ė PM me and I will explain how we can do it.

I have been running Flow's with light weight tubes for about a year without issues, they are quite wide and light. Laced to Hope Pro 2 SP's. Alternative might be Sun Ringle MTX (or Nuke Proof, they are the same just different finish)

As an all round brake, cost, spare, power, heat build up, and stuff like that, the formulas are the worst, then the tech m4s, then the avids, and finally the hope tech v2s.

The hopes are too heavy though, the 2011 xtr brakes are amazing. I've only had 5 rides them, so far braking power is better then all but the v2s, so far there is no noticable pad wear, they are light, and so far I've had no issues with heat dissipation.

It's actually an e13 LG1+ that I've just recently removed the lower guide and bash guard from to make it effectively an e13 XCX.

The chain does come off of the lower part of the ring but unlike the the MRP version, the backplate is stiff enough not to flex so that the chain can't fall between the ring and the plate. Seems to work very well.

norcosam, I'd def going to get the Reverb post, very much like the look of it and willing to give it a go. I won't have a running bike for a while so not cure I can feed back my findings before you do yourself!

geetee, great help thanks. Do you now prefer the X0 shifter/mech to the XTR ones? The XT cassette looks to be quite a lot lighter than the SRAM PG1070 equivalent. Seems a lot of people mix SRAM and Shimano drivetrain parts - deciding whether to go strictly one way or mix and match likewise. Are you running a shimano front ring?

Mind if I ask why you removed the bottom guide from the LG1+? Rubbing?

Tempted to just bite the bullet and go for the Formula's, but I don't see any major sale discounts on brakes right now, so deferring the choice for a little longer. The XTR option is interesting, will check them out.

I like them both to be honest but for different reasons. I was running full 9-speed XTR before swapping over and but the 10-speed and I always liked how it worked. The shift lever action is very light and you can make multiple up and down shifts with the levers. That can be a nuisance if you're not used to it though as it takes a little while to adjust to not making more shifts down than you need. If you're in a hurry or not concentrating, you can end up shifting two gears when you only wanted one. But in time you get used to it and evenytally it does become a benefit.

Also the shift lever now works in both directions for down shifts, which is key to any gravity biased riding and it means you can keep your grip strong on the bar.

Shimano stuff is now a bit different in design compared to the 9-speed. Principally they've made the rear mech a 1:1 pull ratio, which is why you need a new mech for 10-speed Shimano. I've used the newer 10-speed Shimano XTR and in use it does still feel a lot like the older version though it is even lighter and more slick now. In some cases that can translate as 'vague'.

In contrast, SRAM kit has always been more positive in its action. You don't get multiple downshifts on the shift lever though, so if you want to make two or more shifts, you have to count the clicks. But again once you get used to that it works really well and it's a less clumsy operation than the Shimano equivalent. On balance I'd say it works better for pure gravity riding where you can't always be concentrating on the shift.

I mix the cassettes and chains as they are all cross compatible. I went for the Shimano XT one because it's 30g lighter than the equivalent SRAM, but I got a bundle of Chainreaction vouchers for Christmas so I've just splurged and ordered a SRAM XX cassette

Chain is a Connex Wipperman only because they make a stainless steel chain.

I removed the lower guide from the e13 just to save a bit of weight. It drops 120g and I recently made some other mods so that the total weight saving came to over 450g/1lb. I know that's a bit anal, but I feel the difference so I'm happy. Where I ride is technical but not rocky so I can get away without the lower guide. If I were to go to the Lakes or Peak I'd just bolt it back on as it's simple to do and you don't even have to remove the chain to do it.

You have me thinking now about 1x10.I was ok on 1x9 so i could go 34 front and 10 speed rear.
On the sram/shimano,i agree with Geetee,he has hit the nail on the head.
I prefer the slighly heavier and more positive feel of the X0.XX is very similar.

My intention is to hang on untill hope produce a 9-36t cassette for the pro 2. Supposed to be lighter than xx as well. The 9t rear should allow me to get away with a smaller front ring. Means running a hope hub however. I know the racket isn't to everyones taste.

Anyone seen or have opinions on the Hope Hoops Pro3 SP-AM4 wheels: http://www.hopetech.com/page.aspx?it...ab=description ? I know the 4 point rotor fixture creates a dependency on Hope brakes, but I'm still deciding whether theres anything thats really stopping from just getting V2's anyway. Also trying to establish if the Pro3's have the same loud freehub as the Pro2's. Any opinions welcome!

According to the bloke who dealt with my last broken axle at Hope Pro2's can be upgraded to EVO, but it requires a new axle, bearings and freehub body... so only the actual hub body remains from the Pro2. Neat... but probably nae cheap.

Should do. It'll use a thicker walled axle. However, what you loose in weight by running a maxle light you'll gain with the thicker axle. The whole setup will still be stronger with a proper 12mm axle

I've a set of am4's here. Also running v2's. It makes a heavier wheel set than a normal set of pro2's. The 4 bolt rotors are fully stainless(no alloy carrier), and the hubs are heavier. I'm not sure there's anything to be gained over pro2's other than the novelty factor and of course the stronger axle. For most folk the standard pro2 seems to work fine in anything from xc to dh and the new eve should address the snapping 12mm axle issue for those harder riders.